Comprehensive Long-Term Care and Infection Control Key Terms

accountable

answerable for one's actions.

activities of daily living (ADLs)

daily personal care tasks, such as bathing; caring for skin, fingernails, and hair; eating; drinking; caring for the mouth and teeth; dressing; walking; transferring; eliminating; and communicating.

acute care

24-hour skilled care given in hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers for short-term, immediate illnesses or injuries.

adult day services

care for people who need some assistance or supervision during certain hours, but who do not live in the facility where care is given.

allergy

an immune response by the body after exposure to a substance called an allergen; reactions may be mild or life-threatening.

animal-assisted therapy (AAT)

the practice of bringing pets into a facility or home to provide stimulation and companionship.

assisted living

residences for people who do not need 24-hour skilled care, but who do require some help with daily care.

assistive devices

special equipment that helps a person who is ill or disabled perform activities of daily living.

care team

group of people with different kinds of education and experience who provide resident care.

chain of command

the order of authority within a facility.

charge nurse

a nurse responsible for a team of healthcare workers.

chronic

long-term or long-lasting.

cite

in a long-term care facility, to document a problem through a survey.

conscientious

guided by a sense of right and wrong; principled.

continuity of care

an ongoing coordination of a resident's care over time, during which the care team regularly exchanges information and works toward shared goals.

courteous

polite, kind, and considerate.

delegation

the assignment of tasks to another person that are within their scope of practice.

dementia

the serious loss of mental abilities, such as thinking, remembering, reasoning, and communicating.

diagnosis

the identification of a disease or condition by its signs and symptoms and through test results.

empathetic

being able to identify with and understand the feelings of others.

first impression

a way of classifying or categorizing someone or something at the first meeting.

functional nursing

method of nursing care that involves assigning specific tasks to each team member.

holistic care

care that involves the whole person; this includes their physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs.

home health care

health care that is provided in a person's home.

hospice care

holistic, compassionate care given to people who have approximately six months or less to live; care is available until the person dies.

intergenerational care

caring for children and the elderly in the same setting.

Joint Commission

an independent, not-for-profit organization that evaluates and accredits different types of healthcare facilities.

length of stay

the number of days a person stays in a healthcare facility.

liability

the state of being legally responsible for something.

licensed practical nurse (LPN) or licensed vocational nurse (LVN)

a licensed nurse who provides skilled nursing care and gives treatments and medications.

long-term care

24-hour skilled care provided in long-term care facilities for people with ongoing conditions.

Medicaid

a medical assistance program for people who have low incomes, as well as for people with disabilities.

Medicare

a federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older, have certain disabilities or permanent kidney failure, or are ill and cannot work.

nursing assistant (NA)

an unlicensed healthcare worker who performs assigned nursing tasks and gives personal care.

outpatient care

care given to people who have had treatments, procedures, or surgeries and need short-term skilled care.

person-centered care

a type of care that places the emphasis on the person needing care and their individuality and capabilities.

policy

a course of action to be followed every time a certain situation occurs.

primary nursing

a method of nursing care in which the registered nurse provides much of the daily care to residents.

procedure

a method or way of doing something.

professionalism

the use of proper standards of behavior at work and in work-related settings.

registered nurse (RN)

a licensed nurse who assesses residents, creates care plans, monitors progress, provides skilled nursing care, administers treatments and medications, and supervises the care given by nursing assistants and other members of the care team.

rehabilitation

a program of care given by specialists, such as physical therapists, to restore or improve function after an illness or injury.

resident

a person living in a long-term care facility.

abuse

purposeful or willful mistreatment that causes physical, mental, emotional, or financial pain or injury to a person.

advance directives

legal documents that allow people to decide what kind of medical care they wish to have in the event they are unable to make those decisions themselves.

assault

a threat to harm a person, resulting in the person feeling fearful that he will be harmed.

battery

the intentional touching of a person without their consent.

civil law

private law; law between individuals.

criminal law

public law; law related to committing a crime against the community.

defamation

any untrue statement (written or oral) that harms a person's reputation and/or damages the person's ability to make a living.

DNI

abbreviation for do not intubate; a medical order that tells medical professionals not to place a breathing tube in a person.

DNR

abbreviation for do not resuscitate; a medical order that tells medical professionals not to perform CPR in the event of cardiac or respiratory arrest.

domestic violence

physical, sexual, or emotional abuse by spouses, intimate partners, or family members.

durable power of attorney for health care

a legal document that appoints someone to make the medical decisions for a person in the event he becomes unable to do so.

electronic health record (EHR)

the electronic form of a resident's personal and health data that is used to manage and coordinate a resident's health care.

ethics

the knowledge of right and wrong; standards of conduct.

etiquette

the code of proper behavior and courtesy in a certain setting.

eviction

involuntary discharge from a facility.

exploitation

the act of taking advantage of a person for personal gain through threats or manipulation.

false imprisonment

unlawful restraint that affects a person's freedom of movement; includes both the threat of being physically restrained and actually being physically restrained.

financial abuse

improper or illegal use of a person's money, possessions, property, or other assets.

HIPAA

abbreviation for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; a federal law that sets standards for protecting the privacy of patients' health information.

intimate partner violence (IPV)

physical, sexual, or emotional harm caused by a partner or spouse.

invasion of privacy

the violation of the right to be left alone and the right to control personal information.

involuntary seclusion

the separation of a person from others against the person's will.

laws

rules set by the government to help protect the public.

libel

defamation in written form.

living will

a document that states the medical care a person wants, or does not want, in case she becomes unable to make those decisions.

malpractice

professional misconduct that results in damage or injury to a person.

mandated reporters

people who are required to report suspected or observed abuse or neglect due to their regular contact with vulnerable populations, such as the elderly in long-term care facilities.

misappropriation

the deliberate misplacement, exploitation, or improper use of a person's belongings or money without the person's consent.

mistreatment

the inappropriate treatment or exploitation of a resident.

NATCEP

abbreviation for Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program; part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) that sets minimum requirements for training and testing nursing assistants.

neglect

the failure to provide necessary care or services, resulting in physical, mental, or emotional harm to a person.

negligence

actions, or the failure to act or provide proper care for a person, resulting in unintended injury.

OBRA

abbreviation for Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act; a law passed by the federal government that includes minimum standards for nursing assistant training, staffing requirements, resident assessment instructions, and information on rights for residents.

ombudsman

a legal advocate (person who publicly supports a certain cause) for residents in long-term care facilities.

physical abuse

any treatment, intentional or not, that causes harm or injury to a person's body.

protected health information (PHI)

information that can be used to identify a person and relates to the patient's condition, including any health care the person has had, and payment for that health care.

psychological abuse

emotional harm caused by threatening, frightening, isolating, intimidating, humiliating, or insulting a person.

Resident Council

a group of residents who meet regularly to discuss issues related to the long-term care facility.

Residents' Rights

rights identified in the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) that relate to how residents must be treated while living in a long-term care facility; they provide an ethical code of conduct for healthcare workers.

scope of practice

the tasks that healthcare providers are legally permitted to perform according to state or federal law.

sexual abuse

nonconsensual sexual contact of any type.

sexual harassment

any unwelcome sexual advance or behavior that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.

slander

defamation in oral form.

substance abuse

the repeated use of legal or illegal substances in a way that is harmful to oneself or others.

verbal abuse

the use of language, pictures, or gestures that threaten, embarrass, or insult a person.

workplace violence

verbal, physical, or sexual abuse of staff by other staff members, residents, or visitors.

active listening

a way of communicating that involves giving a person one's full attention while he is speaking and encouraging him to give information and clarify ideas.

adverse event

an unexpected event that causes serious injury or death; also called sentinel event.

barrier

a block or an obstacle.

body language

all of the conscious or unconscious messages a person's body sends as she communicates; facial expressions, gestures, and posture are examples.

care conference

a meeting to share and gather information about a resident in order to develop a care plan.

care plan

a plan for each resident created by a registered nurse that outlines the tasks that team members must perform to help the resident reach their goals of care.

charting

the act of noting care and observations; documenting.

code

in health care, an emergent medical situation in which specially trained responders provide the necessary care.

code status

formal documentation of the type and scope of care that should be provided to a particular resident in the event of cardiac or respiratory arrest, other catastrophic organ failure, or terminal illness.

critical thinking

the process of reasoning and analyzing in order to solve problems; for the nursing assistant, critical thinking means making careful observations and immediately reporting all potential problems.

culture

a set of learned beliefs, values, traditions, and behaviors shared by a social or ethnic group.